


The Intruder

by secooper87



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Torchwood
Genre: Time Lord Victorious, Timey-Wimey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-17
Updated: 2014-03-17
Packaged: 2018-01-16 01:43:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1327132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secooper87/pseuds/secooper87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seo's trying to make a point.  And she's making it using Torchwood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Intruder

"Just leaving," Gwen said, on the phone, nestling it between her shoulder and her ear. She disarmed the gun she'd been using, then stored it away in the armory. "No, I'm alone. Everyone else is off… helping a friend feel better." She spun around, walking back into the main hub. "Yes, love you, too, Rhys. See you soon."

Then hung up.

Night off at Torchwood.

Not usual, with just three permanent Torchwood members left.

But with Jack and Ianto off in London, helping Buffy, and Gwen's work done for the evening… she supposed she might as well give her husband a pleasant surprise. An evening together!

The novelty of it!

Gwen headed over to the computer table, to grab up her keys and purse and check out. But paused. Someone had left a pair of sunglasses perched on the desk right beside her things. A pair of sunglasses… Gwen felt she should remember.

She picked them up.

Yes. She kept getting flashes of memories that didn't come together. As if she'd known something, once, and been retconned to forget.

"Gwen Cooper," said a voice.

Gwen looked up. And the moment she saw that woman — standing there, arms crossed, looking a little smug and a little mischievous and a little arrogant — everything came flooding back.

"I've seen you before," Gwen said. "Last year."

* * *

_"I found her, Jack!" Gwen had shouted into her earpiece. She pulled out a gun, leveling it at the mysterious brunette sitting and typing at the computers. The mysterious brunette, who'd managed to take down all the cameras and security systems, plan the world's largest distraction, and then send all of Torchwood on a merry chase around the Hub, trying to find something that didn't exist._

_While she did… what, exactly?_

_"Step away from the computers," Gwen had warned._

_The brunette had glanced over at the gun. Then at Gwen. A large grin spreading across her face. "Oh. Hello!"_

_"I said step away!" Gwen had shouted._

_The brunette had stepped away from the computers, hands raised. She'd seemed more amused than anything else. "Back to this, then, eh, Gwen?" she'd said. "Well. At least you've got a new SIG-Sauer P226. Nice firearm. Although — you should see the P339's. Now_ they _are something else!" She paused, reflecting. "Got shot by one of those, once. Not my finest moment."_

_Gwen had hesitated._

_"How do you know my name?" Gwen had demanded._

_The brunette had winked at her._

_Gwen had faltered. There was something… uncomfortably… familiar about…_

_But no. Of course not. Gwen looked the brunette over, again. Looked to be in her late twenties. Dressed in a stylish black dress, with a pair of sunglasses perched on her head to hold back her hair. She wore heels, but seemed completely at ease in them, as if running in heels were a regular occurrence for her. Her dark eyes glimmered in the light of the Hub, her face done up with just the right splash of makeup to make her look like a movie star._

_Gwen had never seen this person in her life._

_The rest of the Torchwood team had raced out, guns drawn, aiming at the young woman. Shouting at her to freeze, don't move, demanding she tell them who she is and where she's from and what she wants._

_The brunette hadn't answered. Just fixed her eyes on Owen. "So. You're still alive, then. Suppose that won't last long."_

_Owen had grabbed up the brunette and shoved her against a wall. "What's that supposed to mean?"_

_Tosh had dived for the computer, typing furiously to bring back up the cameras and undo whatever else this person had done._

_"Because if that's supposed to be a threat—" Owen had said._

_"Bullet hole in the chest!" the brunette had interrupted. "Oh, yeah, trust me — I've done that one, before. Course, not the Pharm. Tea gardens of St. Augustine, planet of Vraxutal."_

_Jack had lowered his gun. Staring at her._

_"I was with the king of Vraxutal at the time," the brunette had continued. "Titonius VII, also known as Titonius the Great. I call him Ty. We go way back."_

_"Oh, no," Jack had said._

_"It was a bit of an embarrassing death, though," the brunette had mused. "Shouldn't have called the assassin's bluff. Guess crazy scientists who love torturing aliens don't tend to be…" looking straight at Owen, "'rational men'."_

_Tosh had frowned at the computer. "Jack," she'd called. "I've got the cameras back online, but for some reason, I can't get an image of…" Tosh had faltered. Then looked up at the brunette. "I thought that only happened with…"_

_"You're not supposed to be here," Jack had told the brunette._

_The brunette had slipped out of Owen's grip, with ease, then tossed her hair back over her shoulders. "Oh, like you've never crossed your own timeline before!" She'd raised an eyebrow at Jack. In a very soft whisper, added, "And, unlike someone I could name, I'm not doing it to win a sex contest with Casanova."_

_Jack's jaw had dropped open. "How do you know about—?!"_

_"Oh, I've got blackmail on you to last me centuries, Jack Harkness!" the brunette had said, with a grin. "Don't you worry about that!"_

_"Jack," Gwen had said. "Who's…?"_

_"Can't you tell?" said Jack, shoving his gun back into his holster. "It's Seo. A future version of Seo." Turned to Seo. "What regeneration are you?"_

_Seo had looked offended. "You don't ask a lady her regeneration!" she said. "It's rude! How'd you like it if I asked you just how many millennia you've been alive?"_

_"That long, huh?" said Jack._

_Seo had winked at him._

_"No," Gwen had insisted. Shook her head. "No, she can't be. She looks nothing like Seo! It has to be a trick, or…!"_

_Seo had sighed. Then she'd strolled over, and offered her wrist to Gwen. "Double pulse," she said. "You can feel it. Got two hearts. Don't show up on scans. And, of course, there's my brilliance, my good looks, and my stunning personality."_

_Gwen had felt Seo's pulse._

_Oh, God. She was right._

_"You're… you're actually…!" Gwen had stammered._

_"It's something Seo can do," Jack had said. "Change her face and body, when she dies. It's still her, inside. Just… a Seo from our future."_

_"So why did she come back to—?" Tosh asked._

_"Good question," Jack cut in. He'd given Seo a pointed stare. "Why_ did _you cross your own timeline?"_

_Seo's eyes had flicked over to Owen._

_Then snapped back to Jack, before anyone could notice — an easiness inside of them, a friendly, disinterested look on her face._

_"You're still called 'Jack', aren't you?" Seo asked. She grinned. "Oh, I loved you when you were called Jack! Not that I don't love you, now, but… you're so iconic and serious all the time. You were a lot more fun when you were Jack. Back in the days when you were carefree. Helping the Earth. Fighting monsters and battling evil and flirting your way across the known universe." She sighed. "I've missed that."_

_"Seo," Jack warned._

_Seo shot him a pointed look. "The lecturing hasn't changed, though."_

_"Why are you here?" Gwen had demanded._

_Seo grinned, again. "Actually, dropped by Earth to stop this massive dimensional incursion that was going on in central Asia. So that took about five minutes." She tilted her head to the side. "Then I had a bit of lunch. Then I discovered a rather irksome enemy of mine had laid a trap, and foiled that. Which made me wind up in Cardiff. At which point, I figured I might as well—"_

_"She's lying through her teeth, isn't she?" said Tosh._

_"Typical," muttered Owen. "You can change the face, but you can't change Seo."_

_Seo's eyes gleamed. "Nope. No one can change Seo. But Seo can change a lot — Owen Harper."_

_Owen frowned. "What…?"_

_Seo turned back to Jack. "Heard of Bowie Base One? On Mars." To the rest of the team. "Future stuff — you wouldn't know it." Then back to Jack. "I learned an interesting story about that. Very interesting. I won't spoil it for you — but I'll just say… I'm here because he was right. And it's time someone did what he only ever dreamed of doing."_

_Jack had absolutely no idea what she was talking about._

_And neither did the rest of the team._

_Seo had checked her watch, which was now blinking with a green light. "Ah, so she's back again. Trust her to keep a schedule." She'd given Torchwood a bright grin. "Time I was going." Turned, marched out the door, wrenching it open so she could pass through. "Just remember what I said!" Glanced over her shoulder. "And don't eat or drink anything she offers you, because it'll be laced with retcon!"_

_"Who?" Gwen had shouted._

_But the elder Seo had already gone._

* * *

"Seo," Gwen said, now. Facing down the woman. "You're… Seo. A future Seo."

Seo waved. "So I am! Hello!"

Gwen frowned. Looking down at those sunglasses. "Except… there was someone else," she said. "Following you."

"You've met her in real time, now, haven't you?" said Seo. "Her first incarnation. When she was blond and tall and quizzical."

"But the one chasing you," said Gwen, "was a future version."

* * *

_They hadn't had to wait long before they discovered who the elder Seo had been talking about. The second intruder of the day had appeared in the middle of the Hub, seemingly out of thin air. An intruder with short-cropped black hair, wearing army fatigues and looking a little older than Seo._

_This person_ did _show up on camera._

_"I'm Jenny," said the woman. "And I'm looking for someone. Stylish-looking, incredibly chatty brunette, always wearing sunglasses on her head, likes to dress in heels just to show off that she can run in them, been throwing herself through history claiming she's God and can do whatever she likes?"_

_Gwen hadn't known anyone named Jenny, yet, though. Hadn't met the blond version. So she'd been skeptical and wary, right from the start._

_"What interest do you have in…?" Gwen had demanded._

_Jenny had just sighed. "So she_ has _been here," she'd muttered. Tucked some hair behind her ears. Then turned to address Torchwood. "Look, I don't know what she did or what she told you, but you have to let me undo it. Not just for the universe's sake. But… for Seo's."_

_Gwen hadn't been inclined to trust her._

_But there was something so deeply sincere about the way she said it… that Gwen found she_ did _trust Jenny._ Did _believe her._

_"I sent you here, didn't I?" Jack said. "A future version of me." He pointed at the vortex manipulator. "Recognize the tech."_

_Jenny cringed. "You're probably not supposed to know that."_

_"Is that why you're going to retcon us?" Ianto asked._

_Jenny stepped away from Jack. Looking out at the Torchwood team._

_"I have to," Jenny admitted. "I'm sorry. There are things you shouldn't know, yet. And if she's told you about them… I can't let you remember."_

* * *

"She made us forget," Gwen said to future-Seo. Her breath coming faster. "She made us forget everything you said! And if we'd known… if we'd remembered…!"

It stuck in Gwen's mind.

That night, at the Pharm. When Owen had been shot. Killed.

"Owen might still be alive," Seo agreed. "Yes."

No.

No, Gwen couldn't think like that! Couldn't think… that there was something they could have done…

"He still would have died," Gwen insisted. "Later on. From radiation."

"Tried to fix that one, too, actually," Seo put in. Leaned against the wall. "Got undone, though. Jenny can be very persistent."

"And… now?" Gwen asked. She felt her breath coming a little faster. "Who's going to die, next? Who are you warning me about this time?"

Seo checked the device on her wrist. "Not a warning," she said. "Just trying to make a point." Tapped the surface. "Any minute now…"

A sound, from behind Gwen.

Gwen spun around.

And stared.

There, standing in the center of the Hub as if he'd just appeared there… was Jack.

A much older version of Jack.

His hair was gray. His eyes more sunken. His skin wrinkling around the edges of his face. And there was a horrible, haunted look about his eyes — as if he'd seen too much, been through too much, and was just trying to make it through the unending millennia.

"Seo," he said. "We need to talk."

"Jack?" Gwen breathed.

Jack froze. His eyes staring, as he noticed Gwen. Opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"That's… you, isn't it?" Gwen said. Swallowed, hard. "An older version of you."

She hadn't thought Jack aged at all. How much older was he, to look like this?

"Well, go on!" Seo urged him, waving her hands. "Say something! You'll never get another chance like this."

"You knew she'd be here," Jack said, in a hard, dark voice. His eyes never straying from Gwen. He took a deep breath. "Why?"

"To make a point," said Seo. She stepped down, put an arm around Gwen's shoulder, and gently led her towards Jack. Set her right in front of him. "You keep telling me I'm doing the wrong thing. So tell _her_."

Jack said nothing.

"Go on," Seo urged him. "Look into her eyes and tell her that I shouldn't have tried to save Owen Harper. Look into her eyes and tell her that it was right to let him die."

His mouth opened.

Then closed.

Looked away.

"Look into her eyes!" Seo shouted. "And say it!"

But he couldn't.

Even Gwen could see that.

Seo stepped back. Crossing her arms, yet again. "I told it to Jenny," she said. "And I'll tell it to you. Stop undoing my work. Stop chasing after me. Stop killing the people I'm trying to save."

"You're not God, Seo," Jack said, turning to her. "You can't get away with this."

Seo tilted her head to the side. "I think I've already proven that I am, and I can."

"You're going to destroy the universe," Jack insisted. "You're—"

"Saving innocent people who deserve to be saved," Seo cut in. Leveling dark eyes at him. "While you two are the ones going out and rekilling them. If I'm God, what does that make the two of you?"

"Seo—"

"Justify it to her," Seo said, pointing at Gwen. "Not to me." She spun around, swept up her sunglasses off the desk, and shoved them onto her head. "These are the people you're hurting. Your friends."

Then she left.

For a very long time, Jack said nothing. Just staring off after Seo, a weary look on his old and tired face.

He blinked.

Then the look was replaced by determination. "Got to get after her," Jack decided, pushing past Gwen. "If she keeps this up, she's gonna kill herself."

Gwen felt her head spinning. "Jack!"

Jack paused. Then dropped his head, and laughed. "No one's called me that in a long time," he said. "No one except Seo. I almost forgot… how it sounded. Coming from someone like you."

Gwen didn't know what to say to this.

Jack looked back over his shoulder at her. "It's good seeing you, again, Gwen," he admitted. "Really good. I've never forgotten you."

"How long has it been?" Gwen asked.

"Too long," said Jack. He turned back towards the door. "Gotta go, now. Someone has to talk some sense into her. Before it's too late."

And that being said, he raced out the door, and out of the Hub.


End file.
